Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

A straightforward romantic comedy, with characters that seem true-to-life.

Annie has been in a long-term relationship with Duncan, living in fictional Gooleness, a small seaside town in the north of England. On a whim, after breaking up with Duncan, she emails legendary musician Tucker Crowe (now a recluse) on the fan page set up by Duncan, who is a self-proclaimed “Tucker Crowe Expert”. The story tells of Annie’s quest for a meaningful relationship.

“He would read up on parenting, if he thought it would help, but his errors always seemed too basic for the manuals. “Always tell your kids they have siblings…” He couldn’t imagine any child-raising guru taking the trouble to write that down. Maybe there was a gap in the market.”

“She stopped typing. If she’d been using pen and paper, she would have screwed the paper up in disgust, but there wasn’t a satisfying equivalent with email, seeing as everything was designed to stop you making a mistake.”

Quotes from the book.

The Independent: “Juliet, Naked is funny, wise and humane, and Hornby’s observations are as witty and pointed as ever.”

Publishers Weekly: “Obviously, this is a must-read for Hornby’s fans, but it also works as a surprisingly thoughtful complement to the piles of musician bios and memoirs.”